The single cup coffee brewer machine (also called single-serve coffee makers) where individual pods/cups of coffee, tea, hot chocolate or the like, are inserted into the machine and mixed with hot water to create a single cup of beverage are ubiquitous. The convenience and ease of these machines to make individual cups of coffee instantaneously makes them highly desirable. Another advantage to these machines is the minimal amount of clean up required after the beverage is made. Normal use simply requires removal and disposal of the used pod/cup from the machine. If another cup of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, hot water, etc. is desired, a new pod/cup is inserted into the machine and the brewing button is activated. Common manufacturers of these singe cup brewing machines include Keurig, Bunn, Starbucks. The single cup coffee brewer machine offers a simple, quick, easy to use way to make a quick cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate/etc. with minimal, if any, clean up required.
Many well known brands now distribute pods of hot chocolate, iced tea, fruit drinks, and other beverages, in addition to coffee of different strengths and flavors, for these machines. It is very common that a subsequent user of the machine will use a pod/cup from a different manufacturer or for a different flavored beverage. Oftentimes, the flavor/taste of the later made beverage may be compromised from small amounts/traces of residue left in the unit from the previously used pod/cup. The residue results from how the machine works—a sealed plastic pod/cup with a heat-sealed or glued on foil lid that contains ground coffee beans and a filter beneath the coffee is placed in a canister (pod or cup holder) in the machine. The plastic pod/cup is manufactured such that each pod/cup is sealed to preserve the contents during storage and for a better tasting (fresher tasting) beverage. The plastic pod/cup is placed into a compartment in the machine which is closed by the user. When closing, the pod/cup is pierced through the bottom of the plastic and through the top foil with needles in the machine breaking the airtight seal. The needles that pierce the pod/cup are cannulated with a channel through the length. With the needles inside the pod/cup, the holes through the needles create a path for hot water to flow through the pod, that is through the top needle, through the ground coffee (or other beverage making substance such as, e.g., hot chocolate powder), through the filter (used to keep grinds and other flavoring substances/solids in the pod from exiting the pod and going into the cup of beverage) and out of the pod, through the bottom needle into the surrounding canister (also called portion pack or cup holder), through an opening in the surrounding canister, and into a cup beneath the canister. It is very common for the inside of the canister to accumulate a solid and/or liquid residue of the beverage that was prepared, especially on the sides of the canister and inside the canister near its bottom. This residue is left behind inside the canister and along the surfaces of the openings in the canister, including the piercing needles/pins. The residue may cause a color or taste variation in the next beverage prepared in the machine which could negatively impact the beverage. Consumers may mistakenly believe the machine does not make good tasting beverages and/or that the beverage in the pod is not good and/or not fresh.
The manufacturers of these machines recognize there is a need to clean the machine but also recognize the inconvenience associated with the current method of cleaning. Manufacturers do suggest occasional cleaning of the canister and the machine (e.g., every 6 months) using descaling solutions. In reality, however, very few people follow these cleaning instructions and fail to clean the internal components resulting in significant residue accumulation in the machines. Particularly in communal settings such as a workplace or professional office, the convenience of the machine and the desire to minimize time spent at the beverage machine often causes neglect in its maintenance and cleaning and an absence of cleaning resources. Rare is the case that these machines are cleaned often, never mind daily or even more importantly after each use. In reality, the cleaning task requires effort and time detracting from the desirable convenience for using the machine.
With multiple users throughout the course of a single day, the flavor of the beverages can become compromised/impacted/altered. The integrity of the beverage product suffers and one of the main purposes of the single cup brewing machine, which is to allow users to enjoy a fresh, just-brewed beverage, fast and easily, is defeated. The resulting beverage winds up not having the fresh flavor that it was intended to have. Applicants have discovered a device and a method of cleaning the single cup brewing machine to address this problem.
Another significant issue with use of these machines is the risk for malfunction—the explosion of the beverage pod during the brewing process causing hot beverage to spill out of, sometimes spray out of, the top of the canister. There are known instances of beverage pod explosions near the end of the brewing cycle, after the water has filled the pod and a final blast of air is applied through the pod. There have been recalls of certain single cup brewing machines in the past few years due to the risk of burns (sometimes second and third degree burns) from the misdirected hot water or steam. Some single cup brewing machines have been recalled due to a problem with a faulty water reservoir causing steam to build up and thus forcing the canister open, causing an explosion of hot water, steam, and coffee grounds. There are also times where an explosion occurred in the beverage pod.
Applicants have discovered a way to improve the reliability of these machines and to reduce the number of accidents and injuries caused by spraying beverage and/or exploding cups. Applicants have discovered that in many instances, the spillage resulting from the explosion of the cup is due to a failure (breakage) of the foil on the tops of the cup. The foil and/or the seal between the plastic and the foil fails for one or more of the following reasons: 1) there is an opening or weakening in the top of the foil that the user does not see when inserting the cup into the canister which allows fluid to escape under pressure out of the top of the cup, and 2) the heat seal between the foil and the plastic cup is faulty or breaks under the pressure applied during the brewing cycle of the machine. Irrespective of the reason for the failure, Applicants have discovered that the danger and mess from a “blow out” in the brewing machine can, for the most part, be avoided, certainly minimized, by modifying the machine and/or the cup according to the invention.
There is a need for a convenient, easy, and fast way to clean the inside of the canister in a single serve brewing machine. There is a need for a cleaning device that can be easily used between brews. There is a need for a cleaning device that does not require dismantling of the brewing machine. There is a need for a safer pod/cup design that helps eliminate over-pressurization and explosions. There is a need for a safer way to make single serve beverages.